Surgical staples can be used to close surgical wounds and other wounds. Further, surgical staples can be used to treat certain spinal deformities, such as scoliosis. Some surgical staples can be made from shape memory metal alloys. A surgical staple made from a shape memory metal alloy can be deformed from an original shape and installed in a patient. Then, heat can be applied to the surgical staple to return the deformed staple to the original shape. Depending on the location of the tissue into which the staple is inserted, it can be difficult to properly orient the staple with respect to the tissue and drive the staple into the tissue.
Accordingly, there is a need for a staple inserter that can be used to install surgical staples in areas within a patient that are relatively difficult to access.